International Solidarity

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When corporate decisions made half a world away can impact jobs and investments with the speed of keystroke, what choice do working people have but to make alliances across national boundaries? When U.S. politicians are beholden to transnational corporations, what choice do U.S. working people have but to make common cause with workers elsewhere in the world?

As globalization draws the world closer together, workers= rights, wages and working conditions are downsized. Global wages are spiraling downward towards the lowest common denominator — countries where workers make as little as a few dollars a day.

Starting from a longstanding commitment to international solidarity, UE believes that more than ever, unions must act and think globally. A real commitment to international labor solidarity means more than just resolutions and meetings. It requires rank-and-file action.

UE has built relationships with labor organizations in a variety of countries. We've made labor history with our pioneering Strategic Organizing Alliance with the Authentic Labor Front, the Frente Autentico del Trabajo (FAT) in Mexico. And, we continue to build new ways to link workers and their unions across borders. Find out about this important work at our UE International Solidarity Website.

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A UE delegation delivered a message to a Kansas company that has locked out 32 workers at D-J Composites in a small Canadian town.

UE delivered flyers last week to the headquarters of D-J Composites, which owns the Newfoundland facility where aerospace workers, members of Unifor Local 597, were forced out of work and locked out a year ago, on December 19, 2016.

“UE has always supported a foreign policy based on labor solidarity and diplomacy,” said UE General President Peter Knowlton. “We especially welcome Senator Sanders’ insistence that our country must seek to build stronger relationships between people at the grassroots level, and his drawing attention to the fact that inequality, corruption and authoritarianism are part of a single system that oppresses and exploits workers across the globe.”

On September 13 and 14, UE and Unifor representatives participated in a series of meetings in Mexico City to facilitate continent-wide labor solidarity. UE was represented by General President Peter Knowlton and Director of International Strategies Kari Thompson, and the Unifor delegation consisted of Secretary General Bob Orr and Director of Human Rights and International Department Mohamad Alsadi.

UE members from around the country took photos while holding signs stating "Non à la loi travail XXL, solidarité avec les travailleurs français!" (No to the XXL labor law, solidarity with the French workers!). Local 506 members took photos while holding a lunch break rally telling General Electric to keep jobs in Erie.

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While employers are getting trillions of dollars in bailout money to offset the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, many workers are deemed essential and forced to continue working in unsafe conditions with little or no protection.

Workers are fighting for and winning Personal Protective Equipment, additional sick leave, hazard pay or in some cases forcing their employers to temporarily suspend work until it is safe to return. This is the fight of our lives.

Are you ready to take action to protect yourself and your co-workers? We can help.